Lifestyle & Home: Urban Eco Chic by Oliver Heath

I have been reading sustainable designer Oliver Heath’s latest book ‘Urban Eco Chic’. Oliver’s unique eco style is based on 3 elements; technology, nature and vintage. The book shows you how to combine these 3 elements to create an eco-friendly home that does not compromise on style.   

Packed full of inspiring ‘urban eco chic’ images, the book highlights the multitude of eco options now available on the market, from flooring to furnishings. This is a very useful resource for anyone planning on refurbing their home and wanting to create an interior that is full of character and charm.   

The book is available to buy here.

Carly Gordon

Art & Culture: ‘Home’ exhibition launches Rodhus

The ‘Home’ exhibition celebrates the launch of Rodhus, a design resource centre and professional environment for designers. Set up by Richard Ainsworth, with the help of Abbi Kiki, Rodhus is a creative hub, offering workspace and professional services all under one roof.  

As part of the ‘Rodhus’ launch, the ‘Home’ exhibition showcases the work of talented designers and makers; from artwork and home accessories to lighting and furniture. The combination of the designers work all in one space creates an exciting and quirky show with an air of urban chic about it. Many of the pieces on display wouldn’t look out of place in the glossy pages of Elle Decoration, proving that local talent is thriving.

The highlights for me were Sylph Baier’s handthrown earthenware ceramics, Rachel Eardley’s quirky original drawings and Elsy and Vine’s knitted lambswool cushions, all vying to be in my home!

The ‘Home’ exhibition takes place from 21^st June until 25^th July at the Rodhus Gallery, Brighton. Check it out!

Carly Gordon

Lifestyle & Home: ECO BAGS OF STYLE

The other day I was in a shop, a regular kind of shop, and I witnessed something that made me a little bit happy. The shop assistant – a regular kind of man, early twenties at a guess, openly harranged a customer, loudly and without embarrassment, about his decision to insist on a huge plastic bag, despite his very tiny purchase (four batteries). This cheered me up no end, and for a second, I felt a glimmer of hope for humankind.

Plastic bags have become something rather shameful and old fashioned. Demanding one now seems very petulant and diva-ish, and a missed opportunity to totally accessorise your groceries. Think of the shopper bag as the forth dimension of style; a well chosen tote says more about you and your philosophy than a designer handbag ever could.

Proof positive that the plastic years will soon be consigned to history, there are loads of great tote bags around , they are widely available, and already have cult status (I'm not a plastic bag anyone?). Here are some that jumped out at me, all beautiful in their own way, well designed, and above all, useful! And just the thing for batteries.

Practical and aesthetically pleasing tote - £26
From Erin at Folksy
Looks very sturdy and has inside pockets, is fully lined, really nice simple design, matching make-up bag also available (but not included – exciting coordination opportunity!).

Chintz frenzy tote - £20
From Penny Fancy Bags at Folksy
Great shape, wonderful fabric, very deep with interior pocket and ribbon tie. A very sweet and unusual bag.

Tartan madness - £25
From The Girl From The North Country at Folksy
Love the handle, and the mixed up tartan is ace. Two inside pockets and nicely lined. Not massive but enough for the ten items or less aisle.

Woven from waterlilies $30
From Elegance Thai at Etsy
Lovely shopping bag, zips up and inner pockets – the distinctive multicoloured fibre is striking and unusual.

Blow the budget - $95
From Minus at Etsy
Beautifully simple style, and I love the slouch. Looks well crafted and designed, and takes a good amount of stuff thanks to the fold top.

Geometric psychedelic - $16
From jgnerer at Etsy
Simple bag, but nicely done and I love the fabric! A great splash of colour – feed your inner raver.

Feisty pattern, happy colours - $22
From Darumado
Designed for lunch, so a bit of a diversion, but a great replacement for smaller plastic bags. Great print, comes with matching fabric case for utensils and machine washable.

Many good bags, innovative idea
Bags of Change
From Bags of Change
Bags of change create lovely vibrant eco shoppers and totes, with a clever twist – just show your bag to participating shops and receive discounts on local and sustainable goods. A shopping bag that saves you money on shopping – inspired.

Sophy Colbert

Lifestyle & Home: Personality of the year for Ekobo Bowls

It was the bright colours and beautiful designs of the Ekobo bowels that first caught my attention. Yes, they look great, but to claim a place in my kitchen they need a great personality. So is it all bravado or do these bowls possess depth of character?

On investigation I discovered Ekobo bowls are handmade in Vietnam. The Craftsmen are paid a good wage for their skill and their working conditions are kept to a high standard. The bowls are made of bamboo, (a fast growing, renewable material) which is spiraled together in long thin strips making a beautiful pattern visible on the inside of the bowl, that is then painted on the outside in various vibrant colours.

Beautiful designs, great colours, environmentally friendly, ethical working practices. In my book, Ekobo bowls get personality of the year and definitely a place in my kitchen!

Lydia Vine

Lifestyle & Home: Organic Millet Pillow

If you fall into bed only to lie awake sneezing and wheezing, this naturally hypoallergenic pillow could be the answer to a good night’s sleep.

These are tell-tale symptoms of a dust mite allergy, which around 20% of the UK population suffers from. The invisible-to-the-eye creatures love warm areas, making pillows and mattresses popular breeding grounds.

This pillow is filled with organic millet husks, which dust mites and moulds can’t live in. It arrives partially filled, with a heavy brown paper bag of husks in case you want to add more. After a restful first night - I’m one of those with a dust mite allergy - I topped up with extra husks for additional support. (Tip: it's worth doing this over an empty sink, as some of the tiny grains will inevitably miss the cover’s zipped hole).

Those thousands of millet 'beads' make this pillow heavier than standard ones, and the grains really mould around the head and neck, while the organic cotton cover keeps you cool. The result? Lots of good-quality sleep, and a happy husband undisturbed by my snuffling.

For more details see the website which also features organic mattresses, baby blankets, bedding, duvets and pyjamas and all products come with free delivery.

Jane Lee

Lifestyle & Home: FLORENCE & FLORENCE – THE SUMMER OF RE-LOVE

Buying your homeware second hand is the most environmentally sustainable way to kit out your living space and to give it an original feel. Short of making everything yourself, there's no better way to find your own style and lessen your impact on the environment.

Trawling through charity shops, jumble sales and ebay in search of rare and beautiful treasures to breath life into your home can be a breathless, heart-racing hunt with glorious rewards and triumphant victories. A hard-fought bidding race on ebay for that perfect vintage butter dish/tea set/coffee table/whatever, brings a rush of excitement for the seasoned bargain junkie. The thrill of finding a design classic tucked away in a charity shop and bought for a song is a wonderful thing.

But, for many of us, dedicating large chunks of free time to rummaging through old bits and pieces is not an option, or simply may not appeal. Step forward Florence & Florence, a mother and daughter team who search for lovely antique and vintage items for the home, and then 're-love' (i.e. restore) them back to near-perfection. The result is a wonderful selection of one-off beauties to add charm and flair to the kitchen, dining room, and life in general!

Browse the entire selection on the Florence & Florence website.

Sophy Colbert

Lifestyle & Home: Owl Electricity Monitor

The Owl Wireless Electricity Monitor provides a great solution for two of the biggest issues affecting just about everyone today; the climate and the economy. What the Owl monitor enables you to do changes the way we consume power by giving us, the consumer, the power to make informed decisions and changes.

With the Owl Monitor we can now see exactly how much power is being used in real time. Ever wondered how much power an extra light is clocking up or standby functions of tv’s and pc’s? Along side these figures we also get the cost in real time. With this information we can make enviro-cost adjustments to our habits that both save energy and actual money off our energy bills.

The Owl monitors have had the pleasure of featuring as Which Magazine’s Best Buy in their category. We’re not surprised ! They’ve achieved a fantastic balance between incredible innovation and user-friendlyness and somehow managed to keep to cost to us very low. They’ve got a great deal with Fathers’ Day round the corner – a serious gift contender for eco-reluctant fathers – they save money AND help the enviro AND get a new snazzy gadget.

There's tuns of info on their website with easy-to-follow installation guides and clever bits of eco-kit including multi plug strips with individual socket control and auto power off functions.